MakerBot Industries

This week’s episode: MakerBoting and Art. Come along to New York’s Affordable Art Fair where painter Micah Ganske shares the development of his MakerBot-made sculptures. Then hear from 3D animator Takeshi Murata about the 3D Popeye zoetrope he is creating using MakerBot prints. And finally, get the scoop on how to WIN A THING-O-MATIC in an artistic challenge we’re doing with the New Museum.

Huge thanks to MakerBot’s very own Alan Bjorklund for the soundtrack!

Orchid by renejsanchez

I did a double-take when I saw this amazing orchid by renejsanchez.  All of the pieces are printed flat, then glued together.  I would think that it would be feasible to bend some of these parts to give them a more realistic look.

If you’ll forgive the digression, peeling parts fresh off a heated build platform and carefully curving them into a life-like form reminds me of the advice of Akira Yoshizawa, an origami grand master:¹

“[G]rand master Akira Yoshizawa encouragists origamists to fold in the air so that they can surround the paper and breathe life into it on all sides.”

Renejsanchez’s orchid is so realistic that I like to think that he breathed life into it by folding in some air.

Orchid by renejsanchez

Plastic orchid.

This thing brought to you by

1. The quote is from Jeremy Shafer’s excellent book, “Orgami to Astonish and Amuse.”  If you enjoy origami even a little, this is one of the most whimsical and enjoyable books you will ever purchase. [↩]